Control of iron-deficiency anaemia in Brazilian preschool children using iron-fortified orange juice

Different fortified foods have been used for the control of iron-deficiency anaemia in children. In Brazil, a low cost, abundant and culturally accepted food but not yet used for fortification, is orange juice. To evaluate the usefulness of fortified orange juice, 50 preschool children enrolled in a day-care centre in the town of Pontal, Southeast Brazil, received two flasks of 200 ml orange juice fortified with 20 mg ferrous sulfate heptahydrate, providing 2 mg elemental/100 ml, from Monday to Friday for 4 months (a total of 84 days). Capillary haemoglobin and z scores of the anthropometric indicators weight-for-age, weight-for-height and height-for-age were determined at the beginning of the study and after 4 months. Mean haemoglobin increased from 10.48 ± 1.66 to 11.60 ± 1.09 mg/dl (p = 0.00003) and the prevalence of anaemia (Hb < 11 mg/dl) decreased from 60 to 20%. No significant alterations in the mean z scores of the anthropometric indicators were observed. The acceptance of fortified juice was excellent and no undesired effect was observed. We conclude that the consumption of iron-fortified orange juice is an adequate strategy to complement iron intake in preschool children and, therefore, to treat and prevent iron-deficiency anaemia.